Urban&Civic and the Wellcome Trust have today signed contracts to develop the £1.2bn new homes project at Manydown in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Outline planning permission for up to 3,520 homes, to be delivered in the first phase, were approved earlier this month, as previously reported by EG. Of these, 40% will be affordable.
The joint venture, which also includes landowners Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, intends to build up to 8,000 homes on the 2,080-acre Manydown site.
The Manydown development vehicle will also deliver a 250-acre country park; two primary schools with land reserved for a potential new secondary school; two local centres; businesses; and shops and community facilities, as a sustainable garden community.
Manydown is one of the largest residential-led development schemes in the South East, and is one of the biggest projects in the government’s garden communities programme.
Following the resolution to grant outline planning permission, work is now underway to enable a start on site in late 2021.
Urban&Civic and Wellcome were initially appointed to develop the garden town in early 2018.
Nigel Hugill, chief executive of Urban&Civic, said: “The Manydown development is the most significant proposed in Basingstoke since the 1970s. The challenges are clear and priorities have been reset. There is no longer a presumption that town can only meet country by means of a petrol engine.
“Equally, the fundamental underlying strengths of Basingstoke have not changed. Accessibility, connectivity and a forward-looking conviction will find new resonance in a digital age, located within the enduring magnificence of the surrounding countryside.”
John Izett, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and property, said: “We can now move forward to develop Manydown.
“Our high ambition is to ensure that when Manydown is built it will be regarded as a standout development across the country in concept and execution, and, most importantly, cherished by those who make their homes and lives there.”
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